This invention relates to a product label assembly, and more particularly to a printable product label comprising a face sheet and liner sheet which are adhered together by a combination of releasable and pressure sensitive adhesives on selected portions of the label.
Numerous businesses produce a wide variety of labels, nameplates, identification cards, tags, forms, and the like in large quantities. Such products typically have nonvariable information (i.e., information which is the same for the entire printing run of the product) printed thereon by high speed printing devices. It is desirable to produce such products on a continuous web, with individual labels, forms, or the like being adhesively attached to the web. Variable information, such as names, addresses, prices, etc., may be printed at the same time, or in a later printing step.
With the proliferation of computer-operated printers, including both impact and nonimpact printers, one recent trend has been for the customer to purchase labels and add variable information to the labels using the customer's own printing equipment. This permits the customer to print on his own schedule, and not be dependent upon an outside printing house. For example, for supermarkets running special sales prices on a variety of items on a weekly basis, deadlines to provide advertising and in-store labels and displays are very short.
Pressure sensitive adhesives have been utilized to secure the product to a continuous web during printing. Typically, labels or the like are attached to a release liner by a pressure sensitive adhesive. When the pressure sensitive adhesive label is removed from the release liner, the label is attached to another surface by means of the tacky adhesive backing on the label.
However, in some instances, it has been desirable to have both surfaces of a label as well as the surface of the web from which the label is released to be clean and non-tacky. Such labels utilize clean release or fugitive adhesives. These releasable adhesives exhibit cohesive failure instead of the usual adhesive failure exhibited by typical pressure sensitive adhesives. These releasable adhesives are compositions which form relatively weak bonds but which adhere well to paper and other surfaces. Failure occurs within the releasable adhesive film itself when a layer of a laminate is subjected to peeling forces. When cohesive failure occurs in such releasable adhesives, a thin film of adhesive remains on the back surface of the face sheet, on the surface of the liner sheet, or both. However, the film does not exhibit tack and has no adverse effect on the appearance or handling characteristics of the product. Moreover, the surface can be readily printed on.
For example, Dunsirn et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,838, teaches a coupon structure which is removably attached to a base sheet on a product by a non-tacky adhesive so that when the coupon is removed, neither the coupon nor the base sheet have a tacky surface.
While releasable adhesives are useful, in some instances, it is desirable to have a product label which has a tacky, pressure-sensitive adhesive on only a portion of the back of the label. For example, a tacky portion of product pricing and advertising labels may be adhered to the shelves holding the products in a supermarket, discount store, hardware store or other business. Current methods of producing such tag or label products typically use face stock laminated to a release liner with pressure sensitive adhesive. During the converting process, the liner sheet is die cut from the back so that when the individual label is removed from the liner, a portion of the liner material remains with the face stock to render that area from sticking.
However, the liner material is easily removed from the label back, defeating the purpose of having non-tacky areas on the label back. Moreover, die cutting of the label from the back adds to production costs and may cause problems in the converting process. Die cutting of the liner may also weaken the structure of the label product which causes numerous problems if the label must be later processed through additional printers to add variable information. Such problems are particularly common where nonimpact printers such as laser printers are used. The path the label takes through such printers may include many U- or S-shaped turns which may cause the label face sheet and liner to delaminate prematurely, jamming the printer. Passing the labels through hot fuser rolls to fuse toner to the label face may also contribute to premature delamination. In addition, the liner may get caught on other internal parts of the printer, causing jamming of the printer.
Accordingly, the need still exists in the art for a product label which can provide a combination of tacky and nontacky adhesives on selected portions of a tag, label, or advertisement, which avoids the need for die cutting the liner sheet, which may be later printed with variable information, and which reduces or eliminates premature liner separation problems.